He submitted false Medicaid claims for more than two years and was paid $400,000 in Medicaid reimbursements for counseling services that were not performed, according to a statement from the office of the South Carolina Attorney General.

Talib's defense attorney, Overture Walker of Columbia, said Talib had accepted responsibility and had aimed to pay down a significant portion of the amount. Talib was not able to make significant progress in the six months between his April guilty plea and his Wednesday sentencing, Walker said.

He pleaded guilty to obtaining property under false pretenses, a felony punishable by up to 10 years behind bars. He was sentenced Wednesday.

Judge Casey L. Manning sentenced Talib to five years in prison.

“Cheating the taxpayers means paying the price for it,” Attorney General Wilson said in a statement. “That’s $400,000 of taxpayers’ money that he stole via fraud, money that should have gone to legitimate health care. We hope this five-year sentence will be a deterrent to anyone who thinks they can commit Medicaid fraud and just give the money back if they're caught.”